Facebook’s Ad Network Is Finally Here

Following years of speculation Facebook on Thursday officially unveiled its new ad network, which will initially focus on mobile devices.

Speaking at the company’s f8 developer conference in San Francisco, Facebook’s mobile monetization chief, Deborh Liu, introduced the network to a room full of mobile developers and publishers, and promised it will make the process of selling ads easy for them. “We bring it all together for you so you don’t have to hire a sales team to sell ads,” she said.

From a marketer perspective, Liu said the targeting capabilities of the new network would be similar to those available on Facebook itself. If a marketer wants to reach fans of Game of Thrones on Huffington Post, for example, they could use Facebook’s data to do so. She described Facebook’s targeting system as “the best in the world,” referring to the amount of information it collects about its users.

In terms of ad formats the network will support a range, including banners, interstitials, and “native” units customized to specific apps and publisher environments. Facebook itself has enjoyed success developing its own ad formats over the years, as opposed to selling standardized banners. The company is urging its publisher and developer partners to do the same.

“Formats really matter in mobile,” Liu said, adding, “We encourage you to work with us on native advertising.”

Brands already testing the new network include Coca-Cola and Disney. Meanwhile agency ad buyers say they’re excited by the opportunity, mostly because of the powerful targeting capabilities Facebook can offer them.